How it went

May 3rd, 2012 at 12:17 pm

At home chillin' after the contract job interview this am.

It was a long drive...it took me an hour and 20 minutes to get there. it's tied with another job I had years ago for longest commute ever. I found myself wondering on the ride home if I could stand to do this 5 days a week. It was all highway; if there was ever a serious backup, I'm sure it could take even longer.

I met with 2 people, both of them contract workers themselves, in the cafeteria of the company, and also briefly met a third. This is the new reality. Corporate America has fared very well in this economy, and part of their success is due to increasingly hiring contract workers to get the job done that used to be done by salaried employees. I wonder sometimes how this is even legal, because they're reversing what, like a hundred years of worker rights? (In a similar vein, labor unions fought many battles to win benefits and salaries only to see at least one outspoken state governor recently throw it all out the window in the name of cutting costs.) So where does this lead the average employee? If your employer doesn't provide your health insurance and you happen to be unmarried or your spouse doesn't have a good plan, you're left scrambling to find something that approaches "affordable."

Anyway, back to the interview.

They were both pretty friendly. However, I have a somehwat different impression of the job based on what the recruiter had told me. It would be very challenging, because it's both left brain/right brain demanding. Half the job is needing to know how to write well, and I have no qualms about that at all, but the other half is having the ability to fairly quickly absorb and understand how their website is organized, the Internet architecture, if you will, and then also learning a variety of software tools that are used to accomplish different things. That's the part that intimidates me a little. I never really considered myself especially tech-savvy, although I use both Macs and PCs. I mostly use MS Office Suite, plus a little Quark and FileMaker which I learned at my current p/t job. I also have used a few content management systems.

They didn't seem to expect that I'd know it all now, but wanted to make sure I had the experience from other similar situations that would help me pick it up. All in all, it seemed to go well. I'm waiting to hear back from the recruiter, who i know was over at the job site.

As for the phone interview, it wasn't really much of a phone interview. Just like at Pru, it seemed like she'd already made up her mind after seeing my resume and had already decided she wanted me to come in for the group interview, and she sounded very rushed. The start date, based on what i learned today, has been pushed back by a few days, which is good, becus in the event i do get an offer, i'd then have to do a urine test and background check, and i told the recruiter I really want to give my p/t employer at least a week's notice, which is all there will be time for, if that.

I'm sort of hoping to learn something definitive before this week is out. Like maybe tonight/tomorrow.

If I DONT get the job, I think I may be somewhat relieved. I know if i get an offer I will definitely take it becus it's the right thing to do on many different levels, but I have huge concerns about the long commute and my ablity to learn the job quickly.

I learned something else not too good about the p/t job i have now...since we're working so effiiciently, but possibly becus that's just how they scheduled it, they will be temporarily laying us off for the entire month of January and then rehiring us in February to start the next round of (3) books.

I had mentioned to the other gal who has my job my concern that we were doing so well we might just be working ourselves out of a job and she said oh, no, when they hired you part-time, that means year-round work and I said not necessarily. she actually asked the question at an opportune time and that's when we learned we'd have a no-income January. We can collect unemployment on that, but since the pay is so piddly to start, it will be very little.

5 Responses to “How it went”

If they think you can do it, I'm sure you can. You had qualms about Quark and FileMarker at first, didn't you? The commute -- now that's a bear, but you know it will only be for four months. Maybe you will have the option to do some work from home.

I know what you mean about being relieved if you DON'T get it. Sometimes it feels good to have hard decisions taken out of our hands!

I'm so impressed you remembered that, CB. Yes, it's true, I wasn't sure how easily i could learn those 2 programs, but I did. I must admit to a certain lack of confidence when it comes to assimilating/learning new software; i don't feel I'm as adept at it as other people.

Actually, i often feel insecure about starting a new job and my ability to do it and do it well. It's always worked out, it's just that nervousness that am i really as good as they think i am...

Never second guess yourself. What's the worst that could happen? You are dead-on with your comments regarding the " new reality". As for the commute, you may see if they offer flexibility to work from home a few days a week. UnitedHealth offers this - not sure if that is who the employer would be but, WFH is common for large companies. If they want you badly enough, they will make arrangements. If not, it would only be for four months and at least it would be during the warm weather months. Good luck!

The commute does sound like a drag, but it might be made bearable with books on tape or languages on tape, etc. When I was having a 90+ minute commute to reach my tutoring students the last few months I was in Texas, that is how I survived. Listened to a lot of books.

That is a heck of a commute, but I like FrugalTexan75's idea. If you want to make it work, there are certainly things that can lead to that time being well spent, even while you drive. I certainly hear what you are saying about contract workers and the lack of reasonable health insurance options. It's scary.
Jerry

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